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Improving a great beach bag (with a not-so-great logo)

A couple years ago, I attended a blog conference, and as is typical for events like these, I went home with some fun swag and sponsor-branded gear. One of the items I went home with was an oversized canvas beach bag with rope handles featuring the logo of one of the conference sponsors.

I love the bag — it’s huge with lots of pockets — and it quickly became one of my favorite go-to totes for beach days, pool days, and park picnics.

However, last year, the company whose name is printed on the bag became embroiled in a bit of a scandal in the news. I didn’t think too much of it until another parent made a comment to me at the pool last year — “You really want to carry that around after what they did?”

Well… I understood her point. I’d never been a customer of this particular company, but I didn’t necessarily want to be a walking billboard for them either after their name was sullied by a controversy of their own doing.

However, I didn’t want to stop using the bag either. It’s a great bag, and you all know how frugal I am..! Similar bags sell for $25 or more, and it seemed kind of wasteful to stop using the bag completely.

We have an event coming up for which I wanted to use this bag, and then I got an idea — what if I added another pocket to the bag? A strategically-placed pocket that covered the logo and (hopefully) matched the bag’s style?

I headed to the fabric store and picked up a fabric remnant that looked like it would fit this bag’s nautical look — blue waves! (Of course, I used a coupon too, so this cost less than $2 out the door.)

I measured the front panel of the bag and pressed the fabric to create a pleat in front. With the pocket being nearly as deep as the bag itself, I wanted to make sure there was enough room inside to both reach in and store more items inside. Then, I used my sewing machine to stitch it on.

For a minimal investment, both from a financial and time standpoint, I think this was a good fix! The bag’s logo is still visible inside the pocket, but other than me and my family, who’ll be looking in there?

Now the bag’s ready for future outdoor adventures. (Warm weather… hurry along now!)

If you don’t have a sewing machine, you could try Stitch Witchery — it’s a fabric tape that you heat with an iron to bond two fabrics together. For something like this, I would use the heavyweight Stitch Witchery tape.

You can get it at the fabric store or at the Amazon link above. I think sewing’s a better solution if you intend to create a pocket that is strong and can hold heavier items, but Stitch Witchery would definitely work if you’re just trying to conceal a bag logo and carry light items inside. :) Consider what kind of fabric your item is made from too — my beach bag is a cotton canvas, so it’s something that could withstand a hot iron. A nylon bag wouldn’t.

Great Idea! I have bag from an adult beverage company; I don’t want to walk around with it, so I turned it inside out. Now it looks like I will be adding a pocket to the bag. Stitch Witchery is great stuff; especially helpful will all the scout badges.

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